The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of Ash

by E. M. Knight

  I stumble back. A white-hot pillar of rage erupts in me. My vampire instincts are instantly unleashed. I snarl and launch myself at him, claws out, going for the heart.

  He knocks me off as easily as if I were a babe. I crash into a wall. Smithson laughs.

  “Do you think you’re the only one under protection of a cloaking spell?” he growls. He draws a dagger from his belt. It’s tipped with silver. “Come on,” he says, “show me what you’ve got.”

  I launch myself at him. We collide and grapple for position. He tries to dip the dagger under my ribs. I swat the attack away, managing to get my claws up in time to swipe him across the face.

  Four red marks form on his cheek. He laughs and spits out blood.

  “Is that all you have?” he asks me. “Is that all the strength contained inside the son of the greatest vampire king this world has ever known?” He looks at me in disgust. “That’s pitiful.”

  My anger strikes up another notch. Raging, I throw myself at him. He was right, he is cloaked, and that’s why I’d always considered him weaker. But he isn’t like the vampires from The Crypts. He doesn’t have the gift of The Ancient’s blood.

  In fact, he and I are closely matched.

  He tries to stab me with the dagger but I parry each of his attacks. I can tell from the way he holds it that he isn’t the most proficient with the weapon.

  “What’s wrong, Smithson?” I ask cruelly. “Missing your precious sword?”

  That riles him up. He roars and throws himself at me. I go entirely on the defensive, only just managing to deflect his attacks.

  Maybe taunting the man wasn’t the best idea.

  He flashes his dagger. Every single jab gets closer and closer to hitting the mark. I grit my teeth, grimly aware that I am weakening—

  With a sudden stab he breaks through my defenses. The dagger sinks into my side. I cry out. The silver tip, inside my body, is more than I can handle.

  I go down.

  Smithson looks at me and laughs. A sudden flurry of stabs descend upon me. It’s all I can do to shield my heart. The dagger dips into my chest, my shoulders, my arms, my back. Pain and agony take me. The wounds do not close because of that horrific metal.

  Finally, when I lie broken and bleeding on the ground, he stops.

  He sneers as he wipes the dagger clean on his pants. I groan. “Killing you was never part of the plan. But you had to go and visit Victoria. You had to make yourself seen. Beatrice asked me to get you in. She said nothing about keeping you alive.”

  He tosses the blade on the ground. It skitters to a halt before my face.

  “Do yourself a favor. End your misery. Take the honest way out.” He kneels before me. “Take the dagger,” he whispers. “Plunge it in your heart. You know death comes for you no matter what. You can extend your misery, and slowly bleed to death. Or you can accept my final mercy, and go out as a man. Because,” he stands again, “in all the behavior I’ve seen you display, you’re nothing but a frightened child.”

  With that he walks away.

  “Wait,” I croak, dragging myself forward. Blood continues to pour out of the wounds and pool around me. “Why do this? Who is Beatrice to you?”

  He considers the question for a moment. Then he decides to indulge me.

  “Beatrice,” he says. “Is the wife who was stolen from me. And for that little nugget of information…” he plucks the dagger away, “… you lost your last chance at a swift and easy death. Goodbye, James. I won’t be seeing you again.”

  He walks out of the fissure, leaving me to bleed dry on the ground.

  Chapter Sixty

  VICTORIA

  Somewhere in the commotion I come to. I crack an eye open. Sounds filter to my ears.

  Eleira—she’s alive! Eleira is screaming at the Queen, something about her being a dark witch and fighting for The Haven and other such nonsense that I cannot make heads or tails of. Beyond her, I see Raul. Handsome, stunning Raul, with his flame-red hair and blazing green eyes. If only he had been the one to first come to The Crypts, and not his arrogant brother James…

  A sudden spasm in my neck makes me whimper in pain. I bite down the sound. I have to avoid drawing attention to myself.

  My eyes go up. Far above me is an opening to the sky. I’m surrounded by rubble and debris from the castle.

  Glimpses of what happened come back to me. The fight against that awful black… thing. Succumbing to its ghastly claws. Willing my body to heal, but finding it incapable of closing the wounds…

  With enormous effort and through tremendous pain I force my arms to drag me to a hiding spot. I crawl behind a jagged rock and huddle there. I try not to shake.

  I don’t know how much time I have left. But I know my death looms on the horizon. I don’t feel the link with Eleira anymore. It’s been severed completely.

  Death always comes to the weaker vampire when the link breaks.

  At first, I thought it would have been her. But my body has been ruined by the fight. And Eleira is obviously still standing. Which means…

  Well, I try not to dwell on what it means.

  From far above me come shrill, eerie cries. No, they’ve always been there—they’ve been constant since I woke up—my mind is only just starting recognizing them.

  What type of wretched creatures can make sounds like that?

  Suddenly Raul, Eleira, and the Queen rush off. I curl into myself as they pass, praying they don’t notice me.

  Somehow, they do not. Or maybe they wouldn’t pay attention to someone as ruined as me.

  Long minutes pass. I look down at my body and wince at what I see. The deep wounds in my skin are marred with oozing corruption.

  No wonder the other vampires did not cast a glance at me. I’m clearly as good as dead.

  My hand slips from under me. I go down and fall on my side. I don’t even bother picking myself up. All I can do is wait for the reaper to arrive.

  The spark of a distant object catches my eye.

  My eyes widen.

  No. It couldn’t be!

  Determination replaces all despair. I force my muscles to move. Inch by agonizing inch I pull myself forward, leaving a trail of thick, stinking blood on the ground.

  My fingers fall upon the spot where I saw the sparkle. I start to dig, throwing dirt and rock this way and that…

  And then I see it. The only hope I have of salvation.

  The Ancient’s amulet.

  I grab it and clutch it to my chest. I can’t believe it’s real. I can’t believe it’s here, I can’t believe it’s been forgotten.

  I throw it over my neck. Summoning what little magic I possess, I slide the link between me and the most revered vampire into being.

  His voice greets me. “YOU. WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

  In a flash of images and memories I show him the state of my body. I pray it’ll be enough.

  “Please,” I whisper. “Please help me.”

  “WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?” The Ancient wonders. “THE MAGIC SOURCE HAS BEEN DEPLETED. I CANNOT MEND YOUR WOUNDS.” A pause, and then, “BESIDES. YOU ARE A TRAITOR.”

  “No!” I exclaim. I clutch the amulet to my chest. “No, I am not, I swear it, I—”

  “GOODBYE, VICTORIA.”

  And then the precious stone in the amulet cracks, splinters in two, and falls apart.

  “No!” I gasp. “No, no, no, no!”

  But I know that without the stone, the torrial is useless.

  I collapse on all fours. I roll over, cough, and stare at the night sky. Those screams continue from above me. I barely pay attention. They’re so far away, and so very far from affecting me.

  I close my eyes and wait for my life to wink out.

  Suddenly there are hands on my shoulders. Someone is pushing me up. Something is thrust to my mouth.

  A second later, blood, hot, precious, warm, viscous blood breaks past my lips.

  I grasp onto the forearms in front of my face and suck as much as I can.

/>   “Easy, there,” Smithson’s gruff voice makes me snap back to myself. “Easy. There you go. That’s enough.”

  He pulls his arm away. I stare at him in wonder. That he would feed me his own blood…

  And then the strength inside me is unleashed. My wounds begin to close. My body starts to heal. I feel myself rising up from the abyss of death where I nearly met my end.

  “You saved me,” I gasp. “You! Why?”

  “You are not the only one here for your own gain,” he tells me. He looks up. “When The Haven falls, it’s time for true loyalties to come out. I think we can help each other, you and I. We are more alike than you know.”

  What game is he playing at? I wonder.

  He stands and offers me his hand. “Will you join me, and help bring everlasting power to our race?”

  Power. My mind clings to the word.

  I look around and see the desolated ruins of the castle.

  Is this all that is left of the mighty vampire sanctuary?

  If Smithson is my way out… then I have no choice but to take it.

  I grasp his hand and let him pull me up. “Yes,” I swear. “I will join you.”

  Something dark and malicious glitters in his eyes. It’s only there for a second—so quick in fact, that it’s gone before I can blink.

  But the memory of it is clear in my mind.

  He has the same floating specks in the whites of his eyes that Logan does.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  RAUL

  I stand on the edge of battle as hordes of Haven vampires rain down on The Convicted, who are tearing through the humans below.

  I want to be there. I want to be leading my people.

  But Mother forbids it. She says that a general, a leader, is only good to his people alive.

  I hate the truth in those words, as much as I hate how much of a coward they make me feel.

  Screams a thousand times worse than anything heard during The Hunt echo across the massive caverns. The humans are running scared, fighting as much as they can against the deranged, bloodthirsty Convicted let loose on them. My vampires, the vampires of The Haven, have been given free rein to kill any Convicted on sight. And to save the lives of as many humans as they can.

  It’s an absolute bloodbath down there. The humans have no organization, no leaders. They are being picked off one by one by The Convicted. The Haven vampires fight, too, but they are distracted, and rightfully so, by the powerful lure of human blood.

  They are also badly outnumbered by The Convicted. That shocks me. I never knew so many of the zombie vampires existed.

  It means Mother’s been making them not just from Haven criminals. But who else, and how many, and why?

  Suddenly the Queen casts a fireball spell. It flares and crashes into the midst of the fight. Humans and vampires alike jump to get out of the way. Some make it. Some do not.

  I turn on her. “What are you doing?” I demand. “You’re killing our own!”

  Grim determination is all I see in her eyes. “In a war, there are casualties,” she answers, readying another spell.

  “No!” I yell, and charge into her to knock her off her feet before she can cast a second one.

  “Get off me!” she snarls. “Can’t you see we’re losing?”

  I look down—and to my horror, realize she’s right. Half, or more than half, of the humans are dead or dying. The Convicted, having fed on fresh blood, are only getting stronger. Stronger and more enraged.

  The Haven vampires, on the other hand, don’t have the benefit of fresh blood in their veins. And they’ve taken casualties, too.

  Where are the Wyvern vampires? I think. Why are none of them helping?

  But the answer is obvious to me. This is not their fight. It never has been.

  This is not even their home.

  I cannot take sitting on the sidelines any more. In a blinding rage I tear down the steep cliff and jump into the heart of the battle. Convicted after Convicted leap at me, but I fling them off. One jabs a clawed hand at my heart. I spin, avoiding the attack, and pierce my own hand through his chest.

  I rip out his heart.

  The killing blow gives me only a sliver of satisfaction before more of The Convicted fling themselves at me.

  I dance with them all, operating on instinct alone. I am the strongest one down here by far—that gives me a considerable advantage.

  My one thought is on keeping as many of the humans alive for as long as possible, while giving The Haven vampires a chance to finish off The Convicted.

  “HAVEN VAMPRIES!” I scream out. “WITH ME! STAND WITH ME!” I rip off the head of a Convicted who gets too close. “HUMANS! GET BEHIND US! NOW!”

  With someone taking up the lead, the chaos becomes a bit less… chaotic. The Haven vampires rush to form a wall around me. The humans run to get behind the line.

  It’s not clean, of course, nor pretty. As the arrangement is being formed, more humans are picked off by The Convicted. Screams ring out as hungry fangs sink into vulnerable necks.

  “WITH ME!” I scream. “HAVEN VAMPIRES, STAND WITH ME!”

  Some of the sharper vampires, seeing what’s happening, pick up the humans and carry them to safety faster. It seems like it takes ages, but eventually, the humans are all behind us, separated from the rabid Convicted on the other side by a wall of vampires.

  Vampires fighting for humans in The Haven - who would have ever thought?

  “We protect all the humans,” I inform my comrades. “And we destroy all The Convicted.” A cheer raises around me. Some of The Convicted still run at us. They are flung away like waves against a rocky beach.

  The others, seemingly more aware of what’s going on, stop and stand back.

  Slowly a great divide forms between us. The Convicted ebb away and take shape like an assembled army. Snarling, hissing, snapping, they challenge us.

  But none attack.

  One steps forth from their midst. His face is half ruined, one eye missing and an entire cheek ripped off. He opens his mouth, but instead of the blood-curdling scream that I expect, The Ancient’s voice comes out.

  “YOU DARE CHALLENGE US, BOY?” He raises an arm. All The Convicted beyond him fall silent. “YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN PERIL. STAND ASIDE. LET US FEAST!”

  I look back at the cowering humans. They don’t stand a chance on their own.

  “Never,” I snarl.

  The Convicted leader throws his head back and laughs. Then, with The Ancient’s voice, he says, “Then prepare to be destroyed.”

  There’s a moment of silence, and then The Convicted charge.

  I know one thing: This will be the longest and bloodiest fight of my life.

  Epilogue

  RIYU

  A long time after all the commotion outside dies down, I release the protective spell cushioning me in the coffin and slowly lift the lid.

  A smile spreads across my face as I survey the destruction before me. Everything has gone exactly according to plan. The Haven’s castle lies in ruins around me. The shrieks of the battle between The Convicted and the Haven’s vampires are like music to my ears.

  Father would be so proud.

  I catch that unbidden thought and glower. I am not allowed to think of him as my Father. I am not allowed to consider my own lineage. One such as me… is better off forgotten.

  Quickly I hop out of my hiding place. Time is of the essence if I am to get away unseen. So far, none know that I am here. I’d prefer to keep it that way. Direct combat has never been my forte. But striking from the shadows, striking from where none can pin the blame on me… that is what I live for.

  I think of that pompous fool James, and I snicker in laughter. He undoubtedly thought The Ancient channeled magic through him, and used the staff torrial in order to destroy.

  But The Ancient cannot do magic. The Ancient does not have The Spark.

  No, it was never The Ancient… it was me.

  I touch Dagan’s amulet hung around my neck.
The one given to James was a poor replica, a red herring. This is the real one, and there was a reason it was entrusted to me, and me alone.

  The Ancient is powerful, and this torrial links me to him. The Ancient has command of the Mind Gift, which makes weaker vampires, and obviously humans, vulnerable to his telekinetic force. He pierced James’s mind, but the link went through me first… and it was I who channeled the spells that rained destruction onto The Haven.

  My body shudders in ecstasy as memories of controlling so much power take me. It was only through The Ancient’s protection that I could control that much. Actually, it was a three-way buffer: the torrial, James, and The Ancient. But then Eleira picked up the staff, and I was given access to her mind…

  Why, nothing in life could ever compare to the absolute euphoria that gifted me.

  She’s far away now. Tendrils of our connection still linger in the air. She’s immensely powerful as a witch, but her mind’s been locked. She is blind to her own potential.

  The better the world is for it. If she knew the things she is capable of…

  My coven will expose her to them when the time is right. When she is safely in our hands, we won’t hesitate to exploit every last ounce of her abilities. But good things come to those who wait, and for now, patience is key.

  I climb out of the crater my coffin ended up in. I cast a very small probing spell to check for any other vampires—

  A warning jolt runs through me. I mutter a curse and throw myself down. One other is here, left abandoned. The spell does not tell me who it is, only the approximate direction of the living body.

  Close. The vampire’s close. But he—or she—is not moving. In fact the life essence I picked up on is so faint I think it might wink out at a moment’s notice.

  So. There is an injured vampire, then, a would-be casualty from the castle’s collapse?

  Stealthily, I sneak toward the source. I’m three-quarters of the way there when my probing spell picks up another vampire approaching.

  I stop and flatten myself against a stone. I focus all my vampire senses on the newcomer. But I am pitifully weak, and those senses only give the barest advantage compared to when I was human.